In the last four years, drug lords have allegedly moved to Mexico City to reside in middle class neighborhoods. Few know of their profession but everything changes when federal police officers arrive to arrest their new neighbors. This is a peculiar situation that has never been lived in the capital of the North American country before.

Even though, drug dealing isn’t exactly new to the Mexican black market, this type of approach was unheard of. In the north and west of the country, the war against cartels is different since there is a high rate of absence when it comes to police officers; dealers of illicit substances can roam freely in towns secluded from the capital, Mexico City never had cartel related conflict until one of the principal heads of the Tlauac Cartel was killed in a secret operation.

The biggest surprise came when civilians attacked police officers in order to intervene in the arrest of the delinquents. At least five trucks and buses were burnt down and young hooded individuals confronted the police for several hours. When the situation was under control, about 15 people were taken into custody.

For the authorities, this causes concern. They fear that the capital may turn into a crime ridden city like those in the north and west of the nation. In these towns, cartels fight each other, and against police, in the hopes to gain control of the region. According to Adolfo Miranda Castillo, Director of the Center for Public Security Studies, Mexico City is attractive because the drug lord can pass unseen to most, narrowing their chances to get caught by the authorities. It is also an enormous market where drugs are easier to sell and the government control is lower than in states with a history of illicit substance trafficking.

Castillo affirms that it is impossible to deny that in Tepito, one of the most popular neighborhoods in the center of the city, drug trafficking is one of the most lucrative actions and contacting at least five of the deadliest cartels is not an impossible task. The DEA has since deepened its cooperation with the Mexican authorities.